Star Fox: The Kiss of Christmas
by MarkNicholsonV2
Summary: To Fox, she's the angel on top of the tree. Eleven months ago he rescued her from a crystallized prison on planet Sauria, and now he wishes to give her the best first Christmas one could have. The night has more planned for him however, as he confronts memories from his childhood, competes with a flirty falcon, and strives to win the heart Krystal; whom also has plans of her own.


Star Fox: The Kiss of Christmas

The Star Fox team had spent the entire day decking the rusty halls of the Great Fox II with boughs of holly for a very special occasion: Krystal's first Christmas. It had been eleven months since Fox McCloud had rescued her from her crystal prison on planet Sauria, and six weeks since the Aparoid Invasion.

Falco Lombardi had become especially agitated by how much of a perfectionist Amanda Pond, Slippy's girlfriend and newest tag-a-long member to the team, Lucy Hare, the daughter of the newly promoted General Peppy Hare and second special guest on the Great Fox, and even Fox had become during the process. It didn't take long, however, for him to figure out how to get the captain to back off.

"I've hung colored lights and pine garland in these halls many times Fox, don't need you over my shoulder to get it done."

"Just trying to move things along. There isn't much time left until Peppy returns from shopping with Krystal, and I want things to be as perfect as possible for her first experience."

"It's gonna be fine. she's gonna love it either way." That's when the idea struck him. "Why are you tryin' to impress her so much?" He poked, then smiled when he saw Fox tense up a little.

"I'm not trying to impress her, I just want her to see it at its best."

"Such uh gentleman. In that case, you're still forgetting something cap'."

"That would be?"

"Mistletoe."

That did it, Fox blushed red as a cherry through his fur. "Not funny, she's not even in to me."

Falco was now wearing a very self-pleased smirk, he continued wrapping the lights in the garland and pinning it along the passageway. "That's not the way I figure it. I have yet to see her flirt with, or even show interest in any new guys when we dock on a planet. Slip is too short for her, and she won't give as much as a credit's worth of thought toward me; I've already tried."

Fox aimed a glare hard as stone at the falcon, who was loving every second of it. "_Tried what_?" The fox said, failing to hide a spiteful growl.

Falco chuckled. "Doesn't matter, it didn't work. I'll tell you what though, I sure spot her eying you from across the room."

Excitement flashed across Fox's expression.

"That's what I thought."

"Just finish the hallway." Fox said, hoping to end the conversation by walking away.

"Don't forget that _mistletoe_!" Falco shouted after him. Fox rebuttaled by chucking an empty ornament box that he had been carrying at his so-called team mate.

"Missed!" Falco taunted.

_Shut up._ Fox thought, hating himself for not trying harder at sports as a kit. He walked up into the control room of the Great Fox II; It was beautiful. The lights of the control panels were joined by the colorful Christmas lights that were craftily woven throughout the room. Large, clear, synthetic snowflakes hung from the ceiling. A thick, green, artificial pine tree sat in a gap between two control panels, loaded with spirit lifting white lights, rose red flowers, glittery white glass balls, and a golden, vibrant star that topped it.

Fox chuckled to himself at the few ornaments on the tree that contained sketches of the jolly polar bear known as Santa Claws. He smiled as he remembered the many Christmas Eves he had spent as a pup staying up late, listening for the fat bear to come down the chimney sounding off with his 'Ho, ho, ho'. The moment he did, he always made sure to go right to sleep so Santa wouldn't catch him awake. Then came the night that nine-year-old Fox discovered the heart-breaking truth that every youngling eventually does.

He had heard the hearty laughter, but that night it was followed by a short-lived holler and a loud crash. Fox came rushing out in a panic that Santa had hurt himself, only to find his father dressed in a Santa hat and carrying a large red sack, lying on the ground and Vixy, Fox's mother, going to help him up. They both froze when they saw Fox standing there. A thick silence held its ground for quite some time.

"Hi son…" James finally said with an awkward grin.

Vixy said nothing, just punished James with a light whap upside the head.

Present Fox laughed at remembering how it was his own toy car he hadn't put away that night that ruined the fairytale for himself. _Oh well. _He thought. _It was gonna happen one day anyway; I'd be a little concerned if I still thought the Santa Claws existed... _ Fox took a final look at the ship's bridge, then turned and headed to his room. Thinking of his mother made him want to see something, something he had kept after the death of both his parents.

He pressed the button that slid open the door to his chamber, stepped inside, then closed it; looking towards the back of his small abode to the top of a three-and-a-half-foot tall book shelf he had. Sitting on top of the wooden piece of furniture was a nativity set that his mother had adored every Christmas, always making sure to polish off the pieces and keep them set up just right.

Fox walked up to it and observed each individual character, ending with and pausing at the little lamb that lay in a tiny wood box full of hay. Vixy would always scoop the young Fox up, bring him to the set with a couple of Christmas cookies, and tell him the story that the characters told while he chowed down on his sweets. Present Fox was never sure if she even truly believed the tale herself, but he did know that she at least loved the story for its beauty and joy; he could tell by remembering just how happy she got whenever she talked about it.

Fox reached out and picked up the snow-white lamb, thinking of the reason he had stopped believing. _She adored you… Why didn't you protect her…? Why didn't you protect my father?! _Fox clenched his fist around the glass figure, but forced himself not to break it; it still had the value of a memory of his mother. He gently set the piece back in the hay loaded receptacle.

Right then he heard the ship's comm turn on and the song 'Rocking around the Christmas Tree' start playing, shortly followed by Slippy announcing into the microphone, "Merry Christmas to team Star Fox! I'll be your DJ this evening with some classic holiday tunes! So grab your merriment, grab your jolly, and get ready for one hoppin' party!"

Fox smiled. _Krystal's gonna love this._ He transitioned into his own little dance to the music, quietly singing along to the lyrics; he refused to let his anger and pain ruin this holiday. Half way into the song Lucy came sliding into the doorway.

"Krystal and papa have returned!" She exclaimed.

Fox's heart started to race. _Here we go._

A minute later, the entire team was in the hanger of the Great Fox II; awaiting the landing of Krystal and Peppy's fighters. They stood among large, inflatable, giftwrapped boxes; a large inflatable snow globe with the jolly polar bear, all dressed in his red and white attire, waving happily to his viewers; five-foot-tall plastic candy canes spread throughout; walls strung with both white and colored lights; and the floor had been partially covered with artificial snow. Due to his mechanical advantages, R.O.B. had been the one to decorate the hanger.

Fox was very pleased with the job the bot had done, as well as the job that his whole team had done; it turned out perfect. _We couldn't give her a better Christmas._ He thought.

The fighters finally arrived, both landing in the center of the hanger not far off from where everyone stood in waiting. Peppy was the first to open his cockpit and climb out of his Arwing. He had left hardly a week after the end of the Aparoid queen, taking a promotion from the retiring General Pepper to become his replacement. It didn't take long for the team to feel the weight of the old rabbit's absence; Fox took it the worst of all. Peppy had taken the place of his deceased father and became a great mentor to the young pilot, not having him around brought the absence left from his father straight back.

Now, Fox felt like the team was coming back together as he walked up to greet the only father he had left.

"Merry Christmas general, and welcome aboard." He said respectfully, offering a handshake to the senior rabbit.

"You and your formalities; come here boy!" Peppy grabbed Fox and pulled him into a hug, which Fox cheerfully returned.

"I've missed you, old hare." Fox whispered.

Peppy broke it off after a moment. "I have a present for you." He said with a devious glint in his eye.

"Do you?" Fox nervously asked.

Peppy walked over to Krystal's Cloud Runner and climbed up to the cockpit. "Have you taken enough of it in yet, there's someone down here who's _dying_ to see you!"

Fox reddened again. "_Peppy_!" He hissed.

Peppy merely looked down and winked at him, then turned back to Krystal. "I'm sorry, what's that my dear?" Peppy listened to her answer that only he was close enough to hear. "Haha, well come on out and we can show you more, we just have to show Fox his _gift_ first."

Fox was about ready to walk away; the room was beginning to get too hot for him.

"Oh, I'm just an old fool playing around. Come on out my dear." Peppy merrily ordered. Finally, her glass dome lifted and Krystal stood up for all to see.

Fox's mouth fell ajar, nearly dropping to his knees at the sight of her.

Accompanying her well-groomed, ocean blue fur and shining, dually blue hair was a bright red silk dress that hugged her slender, curved figure flawlessly. The sleeves of the dress ran smoothly down her arms to her wrists, then narrowed out down her hand and wrapped around her center finger. The opening at the neck dropped down just enough to reveal the top of her round, soft white furred breasts. Pure white lace lined the opening as well as the bottom of the dress, which ran down enough to lightly touch her delicate knees. To add to it all, a bright white bow wrapped snuggly around her waist and tied off at her back. The dress truly displayed her as a gift, a gift that now stood smiling in front of Fox; waiting for his response.

Fox instantly closed the distance between his lips. Peppy smiled as he walked past him toward the team, who were equally blown away by her appearance. "Merry Christmas, my boy." He proudly stated.

Fox quickly placed his hand behind his neck and tensely rubbed it, struggling to find words. "Thank yo- I mean, she's not-I would never-I don't own-she's beautiful!" Fox's glance snapped to Krystal. "Not that I'm flirt-I-I meant to say-just stating a fact, not that I don't think your beautiful! I just-"

Krystal blushed and softly laughed, clasping her hands at her waste. "Thank you, Fox." She said in that soft, angelic voice of hers.

Fox had to fight the urge to collapse. _She is so beautiful… _Fox caught himself staring dumbfounded at her again. He quickly looked down and desperately searched for a subject change. "Um…" He looked up and gestured to the decorations. "What-What do you think?" He asked with an embarrassed smile.

Her face lit up as she looked upon the festive additions to the ship. "It's all so pretty… oh! There's the jolly bear, what's his name… Santa Claws?"

Fox smiled. "That's right."

"Yay!" She quickly exclaimed, feeling pleased with herself. "Did you do all this for me?" She looked back at him with her sparkling sapphire eyes.

Fox shied away again, clearing his throat before speaking. "Well it... it wasn't all me, the team pitched in even more than I did."

Krystal tilted her head, stared at him curiously for a second, then reached out with her hand and gently rested it on Fox's upper arm. "I'll be sure to thank them then." She said with a smile that Fox couldn't decipher. With that she turned and followed Peppy towards the rest of the group.

Fox stood baffled. _I… I mean I did help. They didn't do all of it! Darn it Fox, you just sounded lazy! _He quit beating on himself when he noticed Krystal looking over her shoulder at him, her playful expression asking if he was coming. He breathed a sigh. _You're hopeless Fox…_ With that, he followed suit.

"Bout time you two joined us." Falco snickered, then his tone turned flirty. "And Krystal, babe you are looking _fine_."

Fox's redness turned redder with rage at Falco's comment, and it didn't help when Krystal blushed and gave a toying smile in response.

"Babe?" She asked.

"You like that?" Falco investigated.

"Depends, how many other girls have said it to?"

Falco held his cocky countenance. "Only the pretty ones."

"Well, then what luck I have that you find me pretty." She answered, glancing at Fox; who quickly hid his anger at Falco, his longing for Krystal, and his fretting over the situation by looking away.

Falco stepped closer to her. "You ain't heard nothing yet." He lowered his voice. "I could get you a drink later and tell you more?"

"I'll have to think on that." She said.

Falco caught the 'not likely' look in her eye. He grunted then announced, "Told you Fox!" as he walked over to his fuming leader.

"I'm not sure what you mean." Fox spoke as emotionless as he could.

"Sure you don't." Falco answered, walking past Fox; out of his view. "Now why don't you do the lady uh favor and teach her one of the finest things about snow."

Suddenly Fox felt a heap of artificial snow hit the back of his head.

Krystal cupped her hands over her mouth and gave it her all to suppress her laughter.

"Snowball fight!" Lucy exclaimed.

The hit nearly had set Fox off, he was furious enough with Falco, but he forced himself to remain calm; he didn't want to explode in front of Krystal, and she already looked so happy and ready to join in the fun. Fox closed his eyes, exhaled, walked over to her, knelt, scooped up a handful of the adhesive white powder, and brought it up into her view.

"So first you take a handful of snow, or what we're using as snow, and you pat it into a spherical shape, like this." Fox firmly moved the 'snow' around in his hands until he had a near perfect snowball. "Then you pick a target and just throw." He turned and threw the ball at Falco as quick and hard as he could, but still missed by a foot.

"Woo! Man, we gotta work on that aim of yours." Falco smirked.

"Just you wait." Fox sneered, then he felt another heap of snow hit the back of his head. He spun around and saw Krystal snickering and running away as fast as she could. Fox smiled as his spirits lifted. He picked up another load of powder and chased after her.

Everyone else joined in as well, Lucy scooped one up and aimed at her father. "Look out papa!" She warned.

"Whoa!" Peppy exclaimed as he ducked just in time. "Oooh, you're going to get it now little one!" He grabbed some ammunition and fired away. Amanda sided with Lucy and began to attack the general.

Krystal and Fox weaved through the candy canes and the gifts, throwing snowballs at each other as they ran. "Is that all you got Fox?" Krystal taunted. "Falco may be right."

Fox turned a little red from embarrassment. "Careful how much you tease." He said, making sure his tone was humorous. Krystal ran and hid behind one of the large gift boxes, Fox came to a halt and contemplated the situation, deciding to press himself up against the opposite side of the box and wait her out. After a few moments, he heard her climbing up to the top of the inflatable. Fox grinned and quickly circled around to the side she was previously hiding behind, just in time to grab her foot before it joined the rest of her body at the top. She shrieked in delighted fright and tried to kick his hand away, sitting up in the process. _Perfect target. _Fox thought. He gave the ball a light toss and hit her; center mass. "You might find I was just going easy on you."

"Not fair!" She rebuttaled, finally kicking her foot free and rolling off the top of the present. As she retreated, Fox landed another shot right on the bow on the back of her dress.

"How's that?" He laughed.

"Still didn't count!" She provoked.

Fox chuckled and continued the chase. They continued to weave through the obstacles, and even ran past the war between Lucy, Amanda, and Peppy. They had the poor old rabbit rolling around on the ground while they scooped up and dumbed the powder all over him.

"Ladies please!" The general pleaded and giggled. "I surrender."

"Surely the general of Corneria isn't surrendering, is he?" Amanda deviously asked.

"I don't think so, my papa's tougher than that." Lucy answered as they kept up their assault.

Krystal and Fox kept running, until Krystal got a heap of snow to the face. She stopped, brushed off the powder and looked in the direction of her offender: Falco.

"Now that's how you throw a snowball Fox." Falco stated with pride.

Krystal got a devilish look in her eye. "Oh you're going to get it for that one Falco!" She picked up a snowball and threw it at him, which he dodged.

"Come on doll, you gotta do better than that."

"Your flattery will get you nowhere." She toyed as she tossed another snow ball, following her toss with a twirl, glancing at Fox again as she did so.

Fox wanted to believe he knew why she kept glancing at him, but he dared not assume. All he could do is suppress his fury at the flirty falcon, and his hurt at how Krystal played along. She kept attempting to land a hit on Falco whom continued to dodge them, getting grazed at the very worst. Finally, he did something that took Fox back: he went in to tackle her; bringing her to the ground and pinning her there, hovering his body just above hers. Fox felt the beast inside of him wanting to kick the bird off-of her, and the weakling inside of him wanting to just give up hope. Then he got an idea, he knew just how to show the falcon up.

Falco held Krystal in place. "You're mine now."

Krystal playfully struggled to get free to no avail.

"Sorry, there's no escaping this one." Falco said with a charming smile.

Krystal looked over at Fox's last known location, but he was nowhere to be found. Disappointed, her saddened eyes fell back on Falco who still held himself over her. She breathed a sigh of surrender. "Hmm, what would I have to do to free myself?"

"I could think of a few things." The right side of his beak curved up seductively.

She tilted her head curiously. "Sounds like fun."

Falco smiled victoriously and leaned in closer to her, but she foiled his attempt by turning her head away.

"If only you had me fooled that you cared for more than just my body." She whispered.

Before Falco could say anything, he was bombarded by what he discovered after to be a jacket full of snow. Fox had taken off his jacket, filled it with the white powder, snuck up behind Falco during his alluring efforts, and swung the jacket onto his face; tying the sleeves off around his head so the white powder was held there, disorienting him. Fox yanked back on the jacket sleeves pulling the falcon off-of Krystal and landing him on his back.

Falco pulled the jacket off his head and shook the snow from his face.

"Be thankful that wasn't real snow." Fox said, triumphantly.

Falco slowly stood up, grabbing a handful of powder as he stood. "You're gonna wish you had never done that." He arrogantly warned.

Fox was ready for him, he had played it out in his head before it had even begun. When Falco went to shove the snow in his face, Fox went at him with a snow filled hand of his own. Falco blocked it as Fox expected, and Fox followed through with his opposite hand, beating him to the punch by smashing a snowball right into his lower jaw. Fox could tell the blow ignited the falcon's rage, indicating that the skirmish wasn't about to go anywhere good. As Falco recovered and went for him again, Fox drew his blaster, simultaneously setting his safety switch to stun, and aimed it at Falco's chest.

Falco halted his approach. "Gonna _shoot me_ Fox?" He nearly burst into laughter. "Too scared to take me on, unarmed?"

"I don't tangle with egos; stand down."

"You aren't gonna shoot me." He said as he started moving again.

Fox didn't hesitate nor give further warning. He pulled the trigger and sent fifty thousand volts at twenty-six watts streaming through Falco's body. Five seconds later, Falco was flat on the ground, suffering muscle spasms that weren't going away any time soon.

"I never said I'd _shoot_ you." Fox replied. He re-sheathed his pistol and looked around the room, searching for the response of all his on lookers.

Lucy and Amanda looked shocked and uneasy, while Peppy just slowly shook his head as his eyes switched from Falco to Fox. "Oh, you boys haven't changed…"

Fox lowered his head in shame, not even daring to learn of Krystal's judgement.

"Oh, cut that out!"

Fox suddenly felt the general's hand roughly pat his back, finding Peppy now standing beside him.

"It's over now and Falco'll be back on his feet soon. Now, help the lady to _her_ feet." Peppy finished, rotating Fox towards Krystal; who still lay on the ground but had now propped herself up on her elbows, gazing romantically at Fox.

Fox was blown away that she seemed completely accepting of what happened. "You alright?" He asked nervously, fighting the urge to shy away.

She closed her eyes and smiled. "Yeah." She said with a slight laugh as she opened her eyes again.

Fox offered his hand to her, which she graciously accepted.

Once she was on her feet she looked him in the eye. "My hero." She smiled.

Fox's diffidence became him again. "I-uh…just-just figured…"

"Hey."

Fox fell silent and looked at her.

Her gentle smile remained as she rested her hand on his upper arm. "You did what you had too, I know he can be a real jerk; I've been here long enough."

Fox remained still a moment longer before taking a relaxing sigh. The two continued to stand there, studying each other. Fox had so much he wanted to say, yet not a single word could form from his lips. His fear of her was too great, she petrified him inside. Fe was relieved of his struggle when Slippy burst into the hanger dressed in full Santa Claws garb.

"Ho, ho, _hold_ it! You guys can't just start a snowball fight without _me_!"

Krystal cupped her hands over her mouth as excitement refilled her. She ran over towards the costumed frog. "You look awesome Slippy!"

Fox laughed, then looked back at Falco who was finally calming down from the spasms. Fox walked over and kneeled beside him. "I don't need you and your hurt pride coming back to haunt me tonight."

Falco's eyes locked on Fox's, who's didn't stray.

"Don't let me catch you attempting revenge, I'll escort you off this ship myself." Fox held out his hand toward Falco, who glared at him momentarily, then accepted the gesture. Fox pulled him up off the ground, and met him eye to eye. "Are we good?"

"Good enough, till tomorrow." Falco answered, rubbing his throbbing head.

Fox smirked. "Looking forward to it."

Fox and Falco joined the rest of the group, and the members continued to laugh and play in the hanger for a while longer; other than Falco recovering from a slight migraine. Soon enough everyone moved on up to the ship's bridge were music, food, and dancing took place.

….

Fox stepped in from retrieving a bottle of champagne the general had purchased during his outing with Krystal. He launched the cork from the bottle, which was followed by a short-lived cheer from everyone in the room.

"What kind is it?" Amanda inquired.

Fox read the label aloud. "Chandon Rosé."

Peppy piped up to fill in the specs. "A fine-beaded mousse, with succulent flavours of wild raspberry and wild strawberry."

"Mouth's watering already general, prepare your glasses everyone!" Fox announced as he began to go around and pour everyone a share.

"Thank you, Fox." Krystal said as Fox gave her the first of the liquid.

"You're welcome Krystal." Fox replied, beaming sheepishly.

He went around the room and filled everyone's glass, ending at Falco.

"I can pour my own thanks." The haughty falcon said as he took the bottle from Fox. "She does have somethin for you; you know that right?"

Fox looked over at Krystal, longingly curious.

"You _are_ blind." Falco said, shaking his head. "Go the hell over there and tell her the truth, since you're willing to _taze_ me for flirting with her."

"Yeah…" Fox replied, without really knowing what he was saying. He starting walking over towards her. _What am I doing?! What in Lylat do I say?! I can't just openly come out and state, 'Hey Krystal, I REALLY like you! We should date.' Gah! What's with you Fox?! Just tell her how beautiful she is and how much you admire her and appreciate having her on the team… No! 'Appreciate having her on the team', that sounds too much like a friendly comment! 'I've come to see you as more than just a friend'… No! What if she just thinks of you as only an acquaintance? Then you're really going too far!_

Fox became so devoted to his thoughts that he didn't even realize he had made it over to and was standing right in front of Krystal, who stared at him with amused curiosity.

"Hi." She greeted.

"H-hi…" Fox stuttered. "Um… how-how do you like the champagne?"

"It's delicious, I like the raspberry flavor the best."

"Yeah… Um, I too enjoy flavor over the alcohol itself." _Idiot! What does alcohol have to do with flavor?!_

"I don't really have a high alcohol tolerance anyway."

"Really?" Fearful thoughts slipped into his head. "How-how do you know?"

Krystal looked down at the ground, sadness entered her expression. "My people used to throw large festivals involving such drinks."

"I'm so sorry!" Fox blurted, stepping back as he cursed himself for assuming something else. "I didn't mean to bring up painful memories…"

"No, it's okay." She comforted. "I could just never have very much before I got dizzy and lost balance." An embarrassed grin crept on her face. "I'd also get a little random in how I talked and acted."

Fox offered a light chuckle. "Nothing wrong with random."

"Really?" She looked hopefully into his eyes.

"Really." He said, slowly losing himself in her sapphire gaze. Suddenly they were interrupted by Lucy, who grabbed Krystal by the arm.

"I just have to borrow her for a few minutes, hope that's okay."

"Um, yeah… that's-"

Lucy yanked Krystal away before he could even finish.

"Fine…" _Good job Fox. _He thought with a sigh. _You let her get away; again. _

"Hey, Fox!"

Fox turned with a start to find Slippy standing behind him, still wearing his complete Santa outfit. Fox smiled. "How's it going Slippy?"

"So um, what'a you think of the party so far?" Slippy followed up.

Fox observed the room with all its lights, the tree, the festive food, and the holographic fire they had flickering from the center transmission table. They had snacked on smoked grazer, mashed potatoes, gravy, crackers with salami, pepperoni and cheese, vegetables with dip, and strawberry cheese cake for a sweet dessert. Under the tree were wrapped gifts that they would be exchanging soon. It took Fox a week to muster up the courage to get Krystal a gift, and he had fretted the entire week after over whether she would like it.

"It's great Slippy, I just hope we all did well for Krystal."

"Speaking of Krystal, how are you two doing?"

Fox looked eerily curious at his friend. "What do you mean?"

"You know, I don't think I'm the only one who can see you've taken interest in her!"

Fox looked away, scanning the room for Krystal but failing to locate her. "It's that obvious huh?"

"And you know what else? It's not one way either."

Hope sparked in Fox's eyes. "That's what Falco was saying."

"So… have you asked her yet?"

Fox looked back at his childhood buddy, warily intrigued. "What is it you're wondering that I've asked her?"

Slippy sighed. "Fox, Fox, Fox. It goes like this: you ask her if she likes you, then you inform her of-" He pointed at Fox with both his fingers. "Your feelings!"

Fox grinned and shook his head. "Not yet my friend, not yet. Now before you can prod me with more of your investigative questions, let's open some gifts."

"I guess… but only if I can announce it!" Slippy informed.

Fox laughed. "Go ahead bud."

Slippy clapped his hands together then slapped them on his waist. "Let's do this."

Fox stayed behind, quietly laughing as his lifelong pal wasted no time in getting over to the ships intercom mic. Unlike Falco, Fox never really fit in, or got along, with the ruff, tuff, quick witted, cocky crowd. He always placed confidence in the underdog goofballs like Slippy. In Fox's eyes, guys like Slippy still had real values, real goals, and real friendship. Fox had to admit he was a weird one himself, he'd just mellowed out as the years went by.

Slippy happily declared the beginning of the gift exchange. The team had a rule, they we're each allotted fifty credits from the Star Fox income to go out and get one gift for each member of the team. Each member couldn't buy anything more spendy than the allotment, returning whatever wasn't spent back to the team's saving account.

Everyone answered the call to the tree, including the recently missing Krystal and Lucy, whom had the look of a pair who had just finished plotting a glorious scheme, only Krystal seemed joyously anxious; making Fox deathly curious, but he forced his mind to push it aside for the time being. The holographic fire-lit room was filled with warmth as they all enjoyed the feeling of giving and receiving. The only exchange Fox dreaded was between Falco and Krystal.

Krystal was modest and had gotten Falco a decent poker set with two card decks and enough poker chips for four players all contained inside a sleek, glossy black case. Falco however invested in a small necklace that had a beautiful golden chain designed to hang perfectly at a woman's collar bone. Hanging from the chain were six sapphire gems that sparkled in the light of the room, with silver outlining each gem. The neckless lay in a black box with traces of the red ribbon used to hold it closed still hanging off the box.

Krystal smiled. "Thank you, Falco." She whispered, tracing her fingers along the necklace; wondering whether the falcon had actually kept to the gift budget. She pulled it out of the box and saw a tiny clasp in the back. _Of course it's a tiny clasp. _She caught a smirk hinting at Falco's beak and knew what he had been planning. She smiled back as she undid the neckless, put her hands behind her neck, and fumbled with trying to re-fasten it. Falco walked towards her.

"Allow me to be of assistance." He said in his usual charming tone.

_Not if I can help it. _Just at that moment she felt the clasp lock onto the chain. "Got it!" She proudly declared. She traced the necklace with her fingers and gave him a kind smile. "Thank you for the necklace Falco, it was sweet of you."

Falco lifted his wings in the air in surrender as he backed away. "Don't mention it; you bare it well, gorgeous." He added with a wink.

Meanwhile Fox had all but lost his composure. He had remained calm enough up to Krystal putting on the neckless, but all his offensive muscles tensed when Falco rose to help her. He instantly visualized smashing the bird up against a wall, ordering him to stay away from her, but such an outburst would ruin him in the eyes of Krystal and the team.

_Aggression isn't your instinctive action anyway, just avoidance_. Fox always cursed himself for it, but any situation that didn't require protecting himself or the ones he loved, he always would instinctively back down from; regardless of the offence against himself. Fox felt weak, it was something he had battled his entire life. _Why am I afraid to stand up for myself? What is so hard about shouting out, 'Krystal, may I be the one to have the honor of placing the neckless upon you?' _ Fox closed his eyes. _Because what if you're wrong? You're too damn afraid of being wrong!_

"Fox?"

The angelic voice protruded Fox's thoughts. His vision focused to see Krystal standing arms distance from him, inquisitively watching him.

"We're the only ones left." She said, smiling. "Didn't you get me anything for Christmas?"

"Of course!" Fox stated a bit louder than he meant to. He frantically searched under the tree for a white box he had wrapped in a sky-blue ribbon, snatching it up once located. "M-Merry Christmas." He held it out for her to receive. _You're doing great Fox, you keep coming up as more of a fool every moment! STOP THINKING!_

Krystal slowly undid the ribbon and lifted the lid off the white box, delicately lifting out its contents. A porcelain teddy bear now lay in her hand, glistening in the illumination of the control room. The smiling bear unceasingly held up a welcoming paw to his viewers. He wore a bright, royal blue robe with plush, snow white fleece bordering the arms and waist. On his head, he donned a bright red Santa hat, and held a pine green present wrapped in a bright red bow. At his feet was a festive, candy cane laden Christmas tree with another gift at its right side and a red, yellow paged book with a gold ribbon protruding from its contents on its left.

Krystal's face beamed as she held the porcelain bear in her hands. Her fingers traced the outline of the bear feeling the cool, smooth surface under her fingertips. It reminded her of something that her mother had given her when she was just a child; something that had been lost to her when her planet was destroyed, along with all her other childhood memories. A gentle smile rested on her lips as she held the bear close to her chest. "Thank you so much Fox."

"There's more to it." Fox said, radiating with excitement. "Open it up, it's split at the mid-section."

Krystal brought her eyes back down on the bear and slowly opened him up. The most beautiful chime befell her ears, a chime that she later learned as 'God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen'. She listened to the soothing music as she studied four little bears, dressed in Santa hats, silently beating on apple green drums as they endlessly marched around a sea blue treasure chest filled with candy and gifts in the middle of the bear.

She curiously watched the bears dance as she listened to the calming tune of the music, her entire body glowing from the flickering flames of the ghostly fire. As soon as the melody stopped, sadness fell onto her face. "How do I make it play again?" She asked as she moved herself closer to Fox.

"Like this." Fox whispered, gently grasping the bear along with her. He guided her hands to shut the box, then directed them to re-open the bear, backing away as the music played once more.

She listened to the melody again, this time trying her best to gently hum along with it until the music stopped. Tears began to line her eyes as she closed the bear and looked at it closely. "Thank you, Fox." She whispered, looking up at him. "It's beautiful."

Fox was flooded with panic. _You've done it now!_ He stuttered as he tried to find words. "I-I'm so sorry! I-I didn't mean to cause you grief!"

A smile found its way through Krystal's tears as she looked down at the bear again. "I'm happy Fox, this is the _best_ gift I have _ever_ received." She wasn't sure if a hug was the right thing to do, but in that moment, she wanted nothing more. She set the musical bear down on a nearby control panel and quickly threw her arms around Fox and hugged him, her smile shined across her face. "Thank you, Fox."

Fox had expected himself in this moment to freeze up and have no clue what to do, but something strange happened this time; he felt something alien: comfort. Her hug felt comfortable, warm, and soothing. A smile slid onto his face as he returned her welcoming hug. "You're welcome Krystal." He whispered.

She pulled herself away as her eye caught sight of the gift she had picked out for Fox, sitting under the tree. "I got something for you too." She said, excitement filling her voice as she handed him the tightly wrapped present. "Open it." She said happily. Fox's breath caught in his lungs for a moment as tried to decide the best way to approach package. She laughed as the present opened to a simple brown box. Confusion crossed Fox's face as he looked at it. "Peppy helped me wrap it, but this part was my idea." She said proudly.

"Quite the creative one, she is!" Peppy chuckled.

Fox opened box after box until his gifts lay in his hand, each one wrapped gently in blue tissue paper. He removed the tissue from the first and discovered it to be a letter from Krystal that she had written the night before. He slowly opened it and read its contents.

'_Dearest Fox,_

_I wanted to take this moment to say thank you for all you have done for me. When I met you on Dinosaur planet I was so happy. I know that I am kind of an outsider but your team makes me feel home. You guys have shown me how to be happy again. The reason I wanted to thank you is because you have given me many reasons to smile. You offered me a new life and I will never forget that. I hope that maybe we can make more memories together soon. Thank you for everything Fox.'_

The letter was signed with a drawing of a heart and her name. Fox smiled and looked up at her, trying to hide the overwhelming warm and fuzzies feeling he was experiencing. "No need to thank me Krystal. I was honored to be the one to help." He paused shortly before he added in, "And I think I speak for everyone when I say we'll always be here for you."

She smiled and brushed her hand innocently against his. "Thank you."

This time Fox froze, unsure of how to react. He studied her closely, but gained nothing. She just stood there, staring back at him with her captivating eyes and heartwarming smile. Fox finally offered a nervous grin, then set to work on the other gift, unravelling a pair of movie tickets. "Heh, heh; wow!" Fox exclaimed. "You know, it's been forever since I've been to a theater!"

She danced excitedly at his thrill. "I've heard that the theater is amazing, and that we get to watch actors on a screen?" She paused for a moment to think if she was explaining it right. "Do you like it Fox?" She shyly asked, questioningly looked at him.

"I love them Krystal, it'll be good to get out like that again." Fox realized he had forgotten something. _Invite her! _Once more he had to fight for his words. "I uh… Would-You know... Maybe... Maybe I could… take you sometime? With-with these?"

Her eyes lit up with delight as she stepped closer to him. "I would love to Fox."

Fox was flooded with a mixture of relief and exhilaration, yet his nerves escalated at her approach. "Then it's-it's a plan." He said, still wearing his nervous grin.

She smiled and hugged him again. "I think this is my favorite holiday." She said happily.

Fox reunited with the comfort her hug brought him. He held her tight and rested his jaw on her shoulder, closing his eyes and savoring every moment.

The whole team offered razzing sounds and comments. Fox blushed as he awkwardly broke the hug between Krystal and himself, nervously rubbing the back of his neck. "Aheh, um… Let's uh, let's clean up, shall we?"

She blushed as well and laughed off her nervousness. "M'kay." The skin of her face was bright red underneath her white fur as she quickly walked towards the empty plates and started to clean up the mess. Fox caught something in her eyes as she turned away. _Was that excitement? _

He glanced at the rest of the team as they gave their own signals of agreement, heading off to start their own portion of the pickup; Lucy and Peppy adding in a wink as they did so. Fox shook his head and knelt to begin picking up all the ravaged wrapping paper, unable to keep himself from continuing to glance over towards Krystal. His self-inflicting curiosity grew worse when Lucy joined her and started whispering back and forth with her. He looked away and became heavily involved in his cleanup when the two girls glanced back. _Don't worry about it Fox, stop acting like an idiot! STOP THINKING! _Yet try as he might, Krystal never left his mind. He nearly panicked when he took another glimpse of where she was last at and discovered she was gone. He did a quick survey of the room, but she and Lucy had disappeared. _Well, it's no use now… Why are you even getting yourself worked up, you're over analyzing! She's just being nice and wants to go experience a movie theater… I mean, could she really like me? STOP THINKING! _

Ten minutes passed and the room was starting to come together. Fox and Falco were folding up the tables the team had set out for the food, when they heard Peppy call from the bottom of the stairs that lead to the hallways of the Great Fox II.

"Fox my boy, we have one last gift to give you!"

"Be right down old hare!" Fox hollered, cracking a grin.

"You ain't leavin me to pick all these up." Falco said as he dropped a table he was carrying and followed Fox to see the final surprise.

"Wouldn't dream of it." Fox gibed.

As the two made their way down the steps, they ran into Amanda who placed a forceful hand on Falco's chest, stopping him in his tracks. "Sorry, this is something for Fox. You just go back upstairs and continue cleanup."

Falco shrugged, turned around and headed back up to the bridge. "Didn't mean to pull any triggers." He snidely added.

Fox studied Amanda, starting to feel uneasy.

Amanda looked back at him. "The general's waiting right down the hall Fox." She told, trying to hide a devious smile.

Fox watched her a second longer, then glimpsed back at the stairs that Falco just ascended. "Thanks…" He murmured, and made his way towards Peppy.

"Come, come Fox. These buck teeth don't bite." Peppy teasingly announced.

"What are you up too general?" Fox asked as he cautiously approached.

"Nothing my boy, you're present is right inside this room." Peppy gestured to the door beside him.

Fox recognized the door. "Inside my personal quarters were you, general?"

"Hardly a moment." He replied with a proud grin.

Suddenly Fox's door opened and out stepped Lucy. "He's here!" She exclaimed, bowing and directing him to step inside. "Your surprise awaits."

Fox eyed them both but couldn't read anything off them except their complacent manner. Giving up, he walked up to his room and stepped inside. Too dark to see, he reached over to flip on his light switch; no results. Before he could report it, he heard a button click and multi-colored Christmas lights lit up the room. Fox quickly took in his surroundings, firstly spotting Krystal at the back of his room. She still wore her stunning red and white dress, as well as a gentle, passionate smile. Her ocean blue eyes sparkled vibrantly, putting all the other present colors to shame. Fox's nerves already had his heart racing, but it wasn't until he looked up that he realized what he was in for. Hanging from the center of the ceiling was the one thing he had intentionally left out of the whole party. _Mistletoe…_

Peppy patted him on the back. "It came me that of all we had taught her about Christmas, we had forgotten mistletoe."

_That wasn't forgotten! _Fox thought as he started to shake.

"So, Lucy, Amanda, and I decided you'd be the best candidate for the task."

"We'll leave you two alone now." Lucy cheerfully added as they shut the door behind Fox. Krystal and he were now completely alone.

Krystal continued to smile as she tilted her head. "Hi Fox."

"Krystal-um…Hi… Peppy, he-that-I didn't-did they-" Fox face palmed himself. _What are you doing? What are you doing? _He dropped his hand back down and looked back at Krystal. "I'm sorry, I don't… I don't really know… what-what to do here…" _No, you know exactly what to do, you're just too much of a coward to do it!_

Krystal's smile lessoned a moment as she approached the middle of the room, then it grew again when she halted and held out her hand out towards him. "Come here." She softly ordered.

To his amazement, Fox found himself slowly obeying her command. His mind ran as fast as his heart. _Is this really happening?! _Before he knew it, he had taken Krystal's hand and stood before her, directly under the berry filled leaves. They met face to face, the glory of Krystal's shimmering eyes threatening to collapse Fox to the floor.

She continued smiling at him gently before looking up to the mistletoe that hung above them. "It's beautiful, isn't it? I am not really sure on what the tradition with it is though." She paused and looked back at Fox, her eyes filling with curiosity.

"It-it's a ro-romantic tradition." Fox was still shaking. _At least I'm forming words… Common Fox! You can do better than this! _He continued looking at Krystal, admiring her entire face that yearned for his answer. _You're so beautiful. _Her glossy, flowing, sapphire blue hair matched her irises flawlessly and cascaded like a waterfall down her head; splitting at the ears and dissipating at different lengths across her eyeline, her jawline and the lower, posterior part of her neck. Her eyes shown forth from her pure white-furred face, demanding attention from all who looked upon her. Her petite snout looked as if it were formed by gods; displaying an elegant, black, rounded nose at its tip.

Fox lost himself in her magnificence, his vibrating joints slowed to a stop as he calmly exhaled through his own snout. He placidly continued his explanation, looking up at the plant as he talked. "A couple meets underneath the plant known as mistletoe. The original custom is to pick a berry from the sprig before either person can be kissed." He looked back at her. "When all the berries are gone, there can be no more kissing."

Fox noticed that Krystal's smile had faded. She now wore a look of blissful wonder upon her face. His heart sprinted as he felt compelled to reach out and grab her other hand. Steadily he did so, and as he gently entwined his fingers with hers he felt a small round object roll from her palm to his. Fox's heart stopped, he didn't have to look to know what it was. _This is it! _

Running strictly off the destiny of the moment, Fox slowly unclasped one of his hands from hers and tenderly laid it on her cheek. Krystal rested her face in his palm as she continued to reflectively gaze at him. Fox felt the call. _Now! _He leaned in towards her and closed the distance between their lips.

Time stood still as Fox fell into a deep spell of fiery, pure, undaunted love for her. He felt that he had entered a dream, one he prayed he wouldn't wake up from for a long time. Fox let his lips rest on Krystal's for a moment, then began to move them around in a leisurely, soothing fashion. Her lips were soft and moist, like those of an angel's. _This is incredible!_ His thoughts shouted. From that moment, Fox knew he had made the best decision in his life. He lost himself in the kiss, forgetting everything about life except her. He had cared about her ever since he rescued her from Sauria, and now he finally found the courage to show her how he felt.

Before he knew it, they were passionately necking. Fox lightly released his other hand from hers and placed it around to the middle of her back, pulling her closer. She expressed her approval by pressing into him, allowing them both to experience the sensual warmth and form of each other's bodies. He warily allowed his tongue to venture into her mouth, and felt her acceptance when it met up with hers. The tongues swirled around together as if they were in a dance, both partners moving ever so gracefully. Fox was completely unsure of how much time had passed when he finally broke the kiss, feeling the adrenaline rush of his life. His breath was heavy enough to have just finished a marathon.

"That was amazing!" He managed to get out with an elated smile on his face.

Her breath matched his as she placed her hands on his cheeks; her eyes darting to different points on his face; dreamily surveying his joyous expression. "That it was." She whispered.

Fox held her gaze for a moment, then glanced upward. "We still have a lot of berries left."

Krystal looked up and grabbed another berry. As soon as she held it in her hand she quickly moved forward and placed her lips on his again. _Merry Christmas Fox._ Her voice whispered telepathically in his head.

Fox closed his eyes and embraced her tightly in his arms. _Merry Christmas Krystal._ His thoughts lovingly replied as he lost himself completely in the passionate, amorous bliss.

….

Review: A short story for the holidays, the rest is up to your own interpretation. ;)

As you may have seen from the already posted review from last year, this is a repost of something I've already written; I've just gone through and made some edits according to reviews I received last year. I hope you enjoyed it, and please feel free to leave me feedback. Kind or cruel, I consider everything that my readers bring to my attention.

Mark Nicholson


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